Villarreal re-sign former Manchester United defender Bailly

Villarreal has secured the services of Eric Bailly, the former Manchester United defender, signing him to an 18-month contract after his departure from Besiktas.

The 29-year-old Ivory Coast center-back, Eric Bailly, departed the Turkish club on Friday, just three months after his transfer from Old Trafford. Despite playing only eight times for Besiktas, he found himself among the five players excluded from the first-team squad this month.

Bailly had previously played for Villarreal in the 2015-16 season before his £30 million move to Manchester United. His final appearance for Besiktas was in a match against Fenerbahce on 9 December.

Following the game, Bailly, along with teammates Vincent Aboubakar, Rachid Ghezzal, Jean Onana, and Valentin Rosier, was omitted from the squad. The Turkish club cited “poor performance” and “incompatibilities within the team” as the reasons for their exclusion.

In response, Bailly’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, asserted that the player “had done nothing wrong” and emphasized that his “rights are being violated, and we will ensure to protect him.”

Having become Jose Mourinho’s inaugural signing, the center-back spent seven seasons at Old Trafford. However, a combination of injuries and a lack of form limited him to a mere 113 appearances.